NICARAGUA SUPPORTS ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNATIONAL REGISTRY OF ANTI-PERSONNEL LAND-MINES

24 October 1996

Press Release
GA/DIS/3063

NICARAGUA SUPPORTS ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNATIONAL REGISTRY OF ANTI-PERSONNEL LAND-MINES

19961024 First Committee Concludes General Debate; Small Arms Traffic, Complete Nuclear Disarmament, Among Issues Stressed

The representative of Nicaragua this afternoon expressed support for the establishment of an international registry of anti-personnel land-mines, as a transparency measure aimed at their elimination, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) concluded its general debate. Such a mechanism might be similar to the United Nations Register of Conventional Weapons, established in 1992 to help prevent illicit arms trafficking.

Nicaragua was one of a number of countries who expressed concern during the general debate about the continuing human and material loss caused by land-mines, which were said to affect small developing countries in particular. While many speakers called for the banning of land-mines, a number of countries supported their use for legitimate territorial defence.

The problem of conventional weapons, particularly illicit small arms trafficking, was considered a matter of priority for many developing countries. Concern was also expressed that the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction was expected to enter into force without the participation of the Russian Federation and the United States -- the two major chemical- weapons powers.

While speakers welcomed the adoption last month of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), many countries considered it to be a partial measure, which still permitted the qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons without recourse to testing. Nevertheless, the view was widely held that the Treaty represented an historic step on the road to complete nuclear disarmament and should be seen in those terms.

Most speakers welcomed a recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice declaring that States were obliged to pursue good-faith negotiations aimed at complete nuclear disarmament. A number of speakers called on the nuclear-weapon Powers to fulfil that obligation, which they had

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undertaken with their adherence to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Calls were also issued for a binding legal instrument on security assurances for non-nuclear-weapon States.

The need to establish a reliable verification mechanism for the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (Biological Weapons Convention) was often stressed, as was the importance of nuclear-weapon-free zones. The spread of such zones was cited as development of major importance, and calls were again issued for establishment of such a zone in the Middle East.

The general debate began on 14 October. Also addressing the Committee today were the representatives of Iraq, Botswana, Jamaica (for the Caribbean Community), Benin, Togo, Burundi, Kuwait, Syria, Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, and Iran. The Director of the Centre for Disarmament Affairs also spoke.

The First Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 28 October, to begin its consideration of issues relating to nuclear weapons.

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Committee Work Programme

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met this afternoon to conclude its general debate. The general debate has been addressing a number of international disarmament agreements, including the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) -- adopted by the General Assembly on 10 September -- and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). It will also discuss the Assembly's 1995 decision "to convene its fourth special session on disarmament in 1997, if possible".

The Committee will consider the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention) -- now one signature short of the 65 needed to enter into force -- as well as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (Biological Weapons Convention).

Other agreements under discussion include the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed To Be Excessively Injurious or To Have Indiscriminate Effects (Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons). Protocol II of the Convention, dealing with mines, booby-traps and other such devices, was revised in 1995 to include provisions on internal conflicts and the transfer of land-mines. An Additional Protocol IV was also adopted, banning the use and transfer of anti- personnel blinding laser weapons.

Regional agreements to be considered include the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco), the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga), the South-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty, and the African Nuclear- Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Pelindaba Treaty). Also under discussion is the Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Seabed and the Ocean Floor and in the Subsoil Thereof (Seabed Treaty).

Other matters being considered by the Committee include the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms and the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the international non-proliferation regime. The Committee was also likely to consider such bilateral agreements as the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START), as well as the signing last year by France, the United Kingdom and the United States

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of the Protocols to the Treaty of Rarotonga, which had already been signed by China and the Russian Federation.

It was also likely to discuss an Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ruled that States were obliged to pursue good- faith negotiations aimed at complete nuclear disarmament. (For additional background, see Press Release GA/DIS/3051 of 10 October.)

Statements

NIZAR HAMDOON (Iraq) said the past few months had reaffirmed the international community's commitment to nuclear disarmament. It was hoped that the CTBT, despite its procedural and substantive shortcomings, would be a major step in that direction. The World Court's opinion on the use of nuclear weapons had confirmed the obligation of States to work towards that end. It had also ruled that the use or threatened use of nuclear weapons violated both international law and humanitarian norms. The Court's opinion declared the obligation of all States, particularly the nuclear-weapon States, to end all forms of nuclear proliferation. That should include binding security guarantees to the non-nuclear-weapon States.

He said Iraq had presented the programme of action for the elimination of nuclear weapons, drawn up by the "Group of 21" non-aligned nations, to the Conference on Disarmament. It was now hoped that the next session of the Conference would give attention to negotiations for a convention to cut off the production of fissile material for weapons purposes.

A welcome development on the disarmament horizon had been the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, he said. Regrettably, despite regional and international support, the Middle East had been unable to establish such a zone. Israel continued to possess nuclear weapons. It was the only country in the Middle East to remain outside the nuclear non- proliferation system, even though the Security Council had called upon it urgently to submit its nuclear facilities to IAEA safeguards. Its insistence on obtaining and maintaining nuclear weapons could not have come about without the assistance and support of the United States, which was the depositary of the NPT and a permanent member of the Council.

Respect by all countries for the principles of the Charter and of international law promoted confidence among States, he said. Those principles were being flouted daily around the world. Iraq had for years been subjected to systematic acts of destruction spearheaded by the United States, which maintained no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq and periodically directed punitive missile attacks against his country. Such acts brought the

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international community back to the law of the jungle and to the notion that might was right.

TEBELELO ALFRED BOANG (Botswana) said it was heartening to know that in the majority of cases, nuclear-weapon States had already committed themselves to the applicable protocols of nuclear-weapon-free-zone treaties around the world. The absence of a similar commitment regarding the Treaty of Bangkok was a matter of concern. The nuclear-weapon States should demonstrate their solidarity by signing all the relevant protocols.

The response by the nuclear-weapon States to the call for security guarantees against nuclear threat or attack had not been reassuring, he said. Only a legally binding international instrument could meet the demands of an overwhelming majority of the United Nations membership. It was disconcerting that, despite its title, the CTBT was not comprehensive at all. It was hoped that the Treaty would cover all aspects of nuclear testing, such as computer simulations. It was also hoped that its wording was not just a deliberate drafting ploy by the nuclear Powers intended to rid them of an obsolete exercise while leaving room to use other unmentioned but known capacities.

Like other non-aligned countries, Botswana fully supported the initiative of the Group of 21 and others to start negotiations on a phased programme of nuclear disarmament, he said. It also welcomed the Disarmament Commission's guidelines for international arms transfers. Nevertheless, Botswana was committed to maintaining a small, highly disciplined defence force.

WAYNE McCOOK (Jamaica), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), welcomed efforts to assist small States in curbing the illicit trade in small arms and in collecting those weapons. Especially troubling was the mix of drug money and arms, which had a serious destabilizing influence on small, vulnerable and open societies. Producer nations were urged to implement firm measures to stem the illicit flow of those weapons.

The very nature of weapons of mass destruction demanded that they be the concern of all States, he said. The Community had opposed the introduction of nuclear weapons to its region and was committed to existing nuclear-weapon- free zones. It also strongly supported Brazil's initiative to declare the southern hemisphere nuclear-weapon free. The movement of nuclear waste through Caribbean waters and its potential pollution effect was a matter of great concern to the region.

He said CARICOM also supported a global ban on anti-personnel land-mines and urged State producers to undertake moratoriums. The deliberate

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development of deadly disease as an instrument of war must also be brought to an end. That task must be matched by a resolve to promote economic growth and sustainable development. The upcoming special session on disarmament should reflect that interrelationship.

ZACHARIE RICHARD AKPLOGAN (Benin) said that in a world characterized by growing interdependence and enhanced globalization, it was essential for Member States to increase dialogue and cooperation, and to implement confidence-building measures aimed at lessening tension and the risk of armed conflict. It was therefore gratifying that disarmament, and particularly nuclear disarmament, were at the forefront of the international agenda. With last year's indefinite extension of the NPT, the objective of nuclear disarmament was brought closer, and with it the prospect of building international security on solid foundations, including cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear technology.

The establishment last year of nuclear-weapon-free zones in South-East Asia and Africa represented the success of efforts at the regional level to consolidate the non-proliferation regime. Nevertheless, conventional weapons, particularly land-mines, continued to threaten international security. Benin welcomed the amendment to Protocol II of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, as well as the Disarmament Commission's guidelines on the international transfer of arms.

Given the consequences of the proliferation of small weapons for the peace and stability of many developing countries, the First Committee should give priority attention during its current session to the Register of Conventional Arms. Benin also wholly supported the convening in 1997 of the fourth special session on disarmament. That session would give every State the opportunity to help consolidate the process of general and complete disarmament.

KOMI MENSAH AFETO (Togo) said the CTBT represented an important milestone, even with the drawbacks which prevented its adoption by consensus. On the basis of the advisory opinion of the World Court, his country urged the nuclear-weapon States to negotiate a total ban on nuclear weapons.

He said he was indignant at the continued use of certain conventional weapons which had traumatic and indiscriminate effects, particularly anti- personnel land-mines. A moratorium on their export by all States would be welcome, as well as negotiations to ban their production, stockpiling and use.

The proliferation of light weapons was a grave threat to regional and subregional peace and security, he said. Unless rigorous action was taken to address that problem, disarmament efforts would be compromised. In order to eliminate the circulation of those weapons, regional disarmament efforts must be strengthened. The United Nations regional centres for peace and

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disarmament should be revitalized. Despite its limited resources, the Centre in Africa had managed to undertake a number of praiseworthy activities and to disseminate important disarmament information.

MELCHIOR BWAKIRA (Burundi) said 50 years had elapsed since the Assembly first appealed for the destruction of nuclear arsenals. The appeal remained unanswered, even though the ending of the cold war had opened a brief window of opportunity for the achievement of that goal. That opportunity must not be wasted. The extension of the NPT, signing of the CTBT, and establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones were a start, but much remained to be done.

The signing of the Treaty of Pelindaba, together with other nuclear- weapon-free zone treaties, meant that one half of the world was now free of the spectre of nuclear destruction. The whole world must be similarly freed, and freed as well of non-nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Speedy ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention was essential. Also urgently needed was an international treaty to ban the production of fissile material for weapons purposes. Conventional weapons fanned conflicts in many parts of the world; confidence-building measures, including machinery to promote regional disarmament, were vital.

In Burundi, the war between the Government and armed rebel bands who killed peaceful citizens and engaged in wholesale looting, had caused untold damage and suffering. The threat that the slaughter following the civil war in Rwanda might spill over into Burundi had prompted the return to power on 25 July of Pierre Buyoya. That had not been a coup d'etat but a response to the chaos threatening his country. Its goal had been to restore order and stability. Yet although the Government had met all the conditions demanded of it by its neighbours -- including the restoration of parliamentary rule, demobilization of combatants, and human rights guarantees -- they had imposed an embargo on it. That measure had now brought Burundi to the brink of suffocation, with disease and starvation pressing on a country that was approaching the end of its tether.

MOHAMMAD A. ABULHASAN (Kuwait) said mutual suspicion had threatened the path of development and growth and raised questions as to whether science and technology had led to a better world. Adoption of the CTBT, which Kuwait had signed, represented a major step forward. It was hoped that no action would be taken to contravene its spirit and principles prior to its entry into force.

International cooperation was needed to end the spread of conventional weapons and the scramble of States to increase their military arsenals, he said. Land-mines were of deep concern to Kuwait, whose people still suffered from those planted by Iraq during its invasion of his country. The production and export of land-mines should be halted, and violators should assume full responsibility for the civilian damage caused by them.

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The creation of nuclear-weapon-free zones in various parts of the world was commendable, he said. The objective of freeing the Middle East from those weapons was a noble one. As such, the international community should pressure Israel to join the NPT and subject its nuclear facilities to IAEA safeguards. The Middle East should be freed, not only from nuclear weapons, but also from all weapons of mass destruction, including biological and chemical weapons.

KHALIL ABOU-HADID (Syria) said recent changes in international relations had not been accompanied by concrete changes in international security. On the contrary, tensions had increased. There had been a resurgence of the arms race and an increase in the number of conflicts, with a consequent increase in suffering, ethnic cleansing, famine and other scourges. Confidence had been badly eroded. Political will was needed to deal with international problems on an equal footing and in accordance with the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign States.

Regional conflicts, in turn, threatened international peace and security, he said. The current situation required thorough reconsideration of disarmament approaches. The nuclear-weapon States should review strategies and nuclear doctrines born of the cold-war era. They should dismantle their death-dealing arsenals for the benefit of mankind as a whole. They should discard the pretext of deterrence and national security and abide by the new international rules which called for the elimination of such weapons.

Syria had supported efforts at a fissile-material cutoff, believing that such a treaty was the best route towards nuclear disarmament and consolidation of the non-proliferation regime, he said. The CTBT was not an end in itself, but merely one more step towards complete nuclear disarmament. However, a Treaty which did not put an end to the qualitative improvement of nuclear equipment -- which could be done by electronic means -- could not be called a comprehensive treaty.

Some States continued to pursue policies of nuclear hegemony and aggression, forgetting that the path to security led through dialogue and peace, he said. Syria had been among the first Middle Eastern States to sign the NPT and to propose a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region. However, Israel had turned a deaf ear to appeals for such a zone. Syria had often cautioned against the danger of Israel's possession of nuclear weapons, its refusal to adhere to the NPT and its refusal to submit its facilities to international safeguards. The international community must urge Israel to accede to the NPT, so that the peoples of the Middle East could transform their region into a zone truly free of the threat of weapons of mass destruction.

It was high time the Middle East enjoyed peace and stability, he said. That could not be ensured by piecemeal arrangements. Recent developments in

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the Middle East peace process, in the wake of Israel's elections, simply confirmed that Israel was once again rejecting the path to peace.

ERICH VILCHEZ ASHER (Nicaragua) said the CTBT represented a major step towards the goal of abolishing nuclear weapons. The Pelindaba and Tlatelolco Treaties would contribute to a more secure world, free from such weapons. Prohibiting the production of fissile material for weapons purposes would also contribute towards nuclear disarmament. The unanimous opinion of the World Court also advanced that cause.

In the search for regional solutions to regional problems, the United Nations regional centres for peace and disarmament played an important role, he said. Deploring the suspension of the work of the Regional Centre in Lima, he expressed the hope that its activities would resume in the near future.

The transfer of illicit weapons was a worrisome and dangerous phenomenon, he said. The adoption of relevant guidelines by the Disarmament Commission provided an important context for addressing that increasingly multidimensional problem. As for anti-personnel land-mines, the only way to eliminate that scourge was to prohibit them. That would require tangible monitoring measures. One way to ensure transparency would be to establish a registry of anti-personnel land-mines, as proposed by Norway.

ABDUL GHAFAR OSMAN (Afghanistan) said many promises and pledges had been made about saving nations from war and devastation, but only a few had been fulfilled. War, conflicts, tension, chaos, and the violation of fundamental rights -- as a result of intervention by other States -- still prevailed in his country and in his region of Central and South Asia.

Two years ago, a new phenomenon -- the so-called Taliban -- had emerged as a mercenary group on the Afghan scene, he said. The Taliban's mobilization, their links with the outside world, and their ambiguous ideology and agenda, had raised serious concerns among the nations of the region. The Taliban had the ability to impede implementation of any peace process in Afghanistan. Its mercenaries had been recruited and armed by foreign States. Afghanistan therefore urged States to ratify the Assembly's 1989 International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.

Drawing attention to reports that chemical weapons were used by the Taliban in recent clashes, with resultant massive and brutal killings, he condemned such inhuman actions and called upon international and humanitarian organizations to investigate those reports. All States should ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention. Unless the development, production and stockpiling of both chemical and biological weapons was ended, the conditions for international security could not be met.

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Of some 100 million anti-personnel land-mines in the world, about 10 million were in Afghanistan, he said. Innocent civilians had been maimed or lost their lives. Land-mines had disrupted everyday life in Afghanistan; their impact was immense. Afghanistan's roads had been devastated -- and as a land-locked country, it depended very much on its transit routes. Nevertheless, it recognized the efforts of the United Nations, concerned States and non-governmental organizations, particularly with respect to the rehabilitation of victims and in mine-clearance activities.

PEHIN MOHAMMAD H.D. (Brunei Darussalam) said the NPT and the CTBT had provided renewed optimism for the prospects of nuclear disarmament. Brunei Darussalam, together with nine South-East Asian countries, signed the South- East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty in December 1995. All nuclear- weapon States were urged to accede to its protocol, as a commitment to peace and security in that region.

The establishment of other nuclear-weapon-free zones, under the Pelindaba, Tlatelolco and Rarotonga Treaties, testified to the determination of the peoples of those regions to be free from nuclear threat, he said. Brazil's initiative, aimed at establishing a nuclear-weapon-free hemisphere, was welcome. The advisory opinion of the World Court was another important development in the disarmament sphere and provided valuable support for those who sought the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

MAJID TAKHT-RAVANCHI (Iran) said developments in disarmament and arms control over the past two years had brought nuclear disarmament back to centre stage. They included the extension of the NPT, the Assembly's call last year to establish an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament in the Conference on Disarmament, the historic advisory opinion of the World Court, the recent adoption of the CTBT, and the imminent consolidation of nuclear-weapon-free zones.

Nevertheless, there was no indication that the nuclear-weapon States were moving towards nuclear disarmament, he said. Those States had objected to an NPT extension which would have required greater accountability on their part. They had vetoed establishment of the ad hoc group in the Conference on Disarmament. They had argued before the World Court for the legitimacy of nuclear weapons. They had agreed to a ban on nuclear testing only when they had developed non-explosive ways of improving their weapons. Even on the bilateral front -- their preferred venue for negotiations -- there had been no progress. START II was in limbo and there was no prospect for START III or for participation by other nuclear-weapon States.

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Those developments in the nuclear field were closely paralleled by similar developments in other areas, he said. The Chemical Weapons Convention was about to enter into force without the participation of the two major possessors of those weapons. In June, Iran called for a conference of Signatory States to urge the United States and the Russian Federation to ratify the Convention as soon as possible. As for the Biological Weapons Convention, that instrument had no verification mechanism, although there was an agreement in principle to negotiate a verification protocol, and an ad hoc committee had come up with an illustrative set of measures. Those measures should be examined in depth, so that work might be finished before the Fourth Review Conference.

In view of the constant support in the United Nations for establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, it was now necessary to take steps towards its realization, he said. Israel's reported possession of nuclear weapons, along with its refusal to accept NPT obligations and IAEA safeguards, posed a grave destabilizing threat to the Middle East. Resolution of that problem was a prerequisite to realization of such a nuclear-weapon- free zone in the region.

PRVOSLAV DAVINIC, Director of the Centre for Disarmament Affairs, drew attention to new procedures for making contributions to the various trust funds for disarmament activities. Although the General Assembly had not requested a pledging conference this year, the Secretary-General attached utmost importance to the viability of the trust funds and to the information, education, training and research programmes which they supported.

As such, the Secretary-General had decided to address a note verbale to all States, inviting all those wishing to do so to contribute to the disarmament trust funds, he said. Such contributions could be made at any time during the year.

He went on to highlight some of the activities financed from those funds. They included the following: producing the Disarmament Yearbook, financing the various regional centres, promotion, public awareness on disarmament issues and activities, and supporting such bodies as the Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research.

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